A stack of fluffy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes is the perfect way to warm up a cold morning. These cinnamon pancakes are piled high with fried brown sugar apples and finished with a simple homemade apple cider syrup for a truly gourmet breakfast.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
For definitely not the first time, I wish computers had smell-o-vision. I wish you could give these pictures a little scratch, and the tantalizing scent of caramelized apples and cinnamon would waft up to your nose.
But alas, this technology still feels a ways off (I mean, do we really need to go to space? This feels more pressing, honestly), so we’ll have to make do with photos and your imagination. I hope that’s enough to convince you these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes are everything you could possibly want in a fall breakfast.
The magic begins with our favorite buttermilk pancake recipe. They’re perfectly fluffy and thick and flavorful every single time. I add a sprinkle of cinnamon, because fall vibes, baby.
Then, we top that big ol’ stack of cinnamon pancakes with some caramelized apples. I scaled down the filling for caramelized apple pie to make just the right amount, but leftover baked cinnamon apples would also work well. .
Finally, we cover everything with a drizzle of apple cider syrup. Sure, you can use maple syrup instead, but this syrup really takes it over the top.
Hear me when I say, these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes taste better than any specialty pancakes I’ve ordered at a restaurant. Filled with intense apple flavor and warm spice, these make an immensely satisfying breakfast or brunch. Pair them with one of our fall drinks for the ultimate seasonal breakfast.
Courtney
Key Ingredients
- Pantry staples, including flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon.
- Fridge staples, including eggs, milk, and butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter and any kind of milk.
- Buttermilk provides extra lift for the pancakes and a subtle tang. While you can do the milk + lemon juice trick, full fat buttermilk gives me the best and most consistent results.
- Apples– I love a tart sweet apple like Honeycrisp, Jonagold, or Pink Lady.
- Brown sugar– Used for both the apples and the cider syrup, brown sugar lends a subtly sweet molasses flavor.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg- Adds fall flavor to both the pancakes and the apples.
- Apple cider– The key ingredient for the cider syrup! Make sure you’re get cider, not apple juice.
- Cornstarch– Used to thicken the cider.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
One simple trick–separating the egg white and egg yolk–is the key to a extra fluffy pancakes. Here’s how you’ll make them!
Step 1: Whisk dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon.
Step 2: Whisk together the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, milk, and just the egg yolk. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 3: Add the egg white, and stir gently until it’s mostly incorporated.
Step 4: Cook the pancakes. Heat a skillet over medium heat, then drop half cup fulls of batter onto the pan. Flip when bubbles begin to appear on the top. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Step 5: Make the apple topping. Toss the apple chunks with the lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pan. Spread the apples evenly over the top and cook undisturbed for a few minutes, or until starting to brown. Flip and continue to cook until softened and golden, about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Make the cider syrup: In a saucepan, combine the apple cider, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring mixture to a boil, and continue to cook, whisking often, until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
- .The pancakes, caramelized apples, and cider syrup can all be made in advance.
- Storage: Store leftover pancakes in the fridge in a plastic bag or wrapped in plastic wrap. Store the caramelized apples and cider syrup in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheating leftovers: Reheat the syrup in the microwave, giving it a good stir. The apples can be reheated on the stove top or microwave. Reheat leftover pancakes in the oven, covered in foil, at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. For tips on making pancakes ahead of time and various methods of reheating pancakes, visit our Epic Pancake Party post.
- Freezing pancakes: Cool completely, then stack in a freezer safe container or bag, with parchment paper or wax paper between the layers. Reheat pancakes from frozen in the microwave or in the toaster.
Tips for Perfect Pancakes
- Use a light hand when stirring the pancake batter. It is normal for pancake batter to have lumps and bumps, not be perfectly smooth. Overstirring can cause pancakes to become tough.
- We love using an electric griddle to cook pancakes. It keeps a consistent temperature and cooks more of them at once.
- Make sure you preheat your skillet before adding the batter. The skillet is ready when a drop of water sizzles on contact.
- Making pancakes for a crowd: Besides using an electric griddle, we also recommend making a large batch of pancakes ahead of time and then reheating them in the oven. You could also use these cinnamon pancakes as the base for our overnight pancake casserole.
FAQS
If you’re using a non-stick pan, you can cook pancakes without any oil or butter. In fact, we usually don’t use any kind of oil.
However, if you want pancakes with crispy edges, you’ll want to use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or coconut oil that doesn’t easily burn. You can even cook pancakes in bacon fat if you want!
Pancakes should be flipped once bubbles appear and pop, forming holes across the top of the pancake.
Yes! That’s what we recommend! You can even start with a boxed mix and add a teaspoon of cinnamon.
More Incredible Apple Breakfast Recipes
Those first few cold fall mornings call for comforting, warm breakfasts and cozy flavors. On weekend mornings, we love making this Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake, Apple Crumb Cake, and French Toast Casserole with Apples.
For a grab and go breakfast, try these Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Morning Glory Muffins, or Apple Butter Overnight Oats.
Join Our Community
Sign up for the NeighborFood email community to get recipes in your inbox ad free and access exclusive content from us! You can also follow us on Instagram and Pinterest. Made our recipe? Leave us a star rating or comment below!
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg (separated)
- 4 Tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup milk
- Canola or vegetable oil (for coating)
For the apples:
- 1 lb. apples (3-4 medium apples, peeled and chopped into bite size chunks)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- Pinch salt
- Apple cider syrup (for serving)
Instructions
For the pancakes:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolk, butter, buttermilk, and milk.
- Add yolk mixture to dry mixture and stir gently until barely combined.
- Give the egg white a quick whisk with a fork, then gently stir it into the remaining batter. Stop before the batter smooths out! Lumpy bumpy pancake batter is good!
- Preheat an electric griddle to 375 degrees or heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Coat lightly with oil, if desired. Drop half cup fulls of pancake batter onto the preheated pan. Cook until bubbles start to appear on the exposed surface of the pancake. When bubbles begin to pop, flip pancake and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned. Keep finished pancakes warm in a single layer on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 200 degrees.
For the apples:
- Toss the apple chunks with the lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet or other pan over high heat. Add half of the apple mixture and fry undisturbed for a few minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown. Stir and continue to cook until the sugar mixture is a deep caramel color and apples are tender but not mushy (about 5-6 minutes total).
- Serve the pancakes warm, topped with apples and covered in either real maple syrup or cider syrup.
Notes
- The apples can be sauteed and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or with little more butter in a frying pan.
- Pancakes can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. Place parchment paper between layers. Reheat in the oven, covered with foil, at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes or until warmed through. Pancakes can also be reheated in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
Equipment
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review, Mention @NeighborFoodie, or tag #neighborfoodies!
Leave a Reply